Christmas is coming, deal with it. But at least now, we can make it a little better for you, here’s rockabilly in a red sleigh.
Brian Setzer and The Brian Setzer Orchestra are releasing Rockin’ Rudolph, their first studio Christmas album in ten years. This new offering will be out on Oct 16, 2015 via Surfdog Records. The 18-piece band will support the album with a major concert tour, the 12th Annual Christmas Rocks! Tour.
“It’s been about 10 years since I made a Christmas record. It [Christmas music] just seems to get more popular every year. They’re classic songs and you wonder after a couple records how many of them are left. Once you dig in you find, wow! I’ve haven’t done ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,’ you know. I’ve never done ‘Here Comes Santa Claus!’ Ones that everyone knows and are still out there. These songs are great songs. It doesn’t matter if they’re holiday songs or when they were written, they’re just great songs. So the trick is to make them sound hip. Some of them are eternally hip, you know, so you don’t have to do too much.†~ Brian Setzer
The album was produced by Peter Collins of Bon Jovi and Alice Cooper experience among others. It was recorded in both Nashville, TN and Hollywood, CA. The 12 track Rockin’ Rudolph CD includes highlights like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,†“Yabba-Dabba Yuletide,†and “Rockabilly Rudolph,†among other traditional Christmas classics, with Brian’s trademark guitar work and vocals, matched with The Brian Setzer Orchestra’s big-band horn sound. Also, fans will have the opportunity to purchase a limited edition, numbered deluxe package, of the album with all of the bells and whistles which are listed below.
Standard Rockin’ Rudolph track listing:
01. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
02. Yabba-Dabba Yuletide
03. Most Wonderful Time of the Year
04. “Rockabilly Rudolphâ€
05. Here Comes Santa Claus
06. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
07. Swingin’ Joy
08. Carol of the Bells
09. Little Jack Frost
10. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
11. O Little Town of Bethlehem
12. Yabba-Dabba Yuletide (extended)
And, if you’ve been extremely good this year, there is even a deluxe version to be had in the ole stocking. The Rockin’ Rudolph Deluxe Box Set includes:
01. Brand New Rockin’ Rudolph album on CD
02. Commemorative Sheet Music / Guitar Chart to “Nutcracker Suite†(just as Brian reads on stage!)
03. Custom Brian Setzer Die-cut Christmas Tree Ornament (3” tall, alloy metal)
04. Brian Setzer’s Own Murray’s Pomade (Hair Product)
05. Commemorative BSO “Martini Logo†Stainless Steel Guitar Pick
06. BSO Christmas Album Cover Drink Coasters
07. Six Polaroid-style BSO Concert Photos
08. “Live in Nashville” 10×10 print
09. Reusable 8GB USB Credit Card w/ Extras, including:
Hi-definition .wav files of full 12-track ROCKIN’ RUDOLPH album,
two new bonus instrumental tracks, not included on album: “Deck The Halls†& “Little Drummer Boy”,
Album Cover Rough Sketches by Artist Derek Yaniger,
Brief Behind-the-scenes video footage of BSO’s Rockin’ Rudolph recording session (House of Blues studio in Nashville, TN.)
“Jingle Bells” – Live Performance by BSO (previously released),
“Nutcracker Suite” – Live Performance by BSO (previously released),
Behind-the-scenes look at Brian writing entire big band arrangement from scratch (previously released).
Brian Setzer, is a guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy-award-winner. He is given a fair amount of credit for resurrecting two forgotten genres of music in rockabilly and swing. Along the way, he has scored hits, and sold millions of records.
Besides being known for founding the Stray Cats, he is consistently cited as one of the world’s greatest living guitarists, and has a best-selling, extensive line of elite Gretsch signature model guitars bearing his name.
Brian even has a film credit to his name by being in the 1987 film, La Bamba, portraying rockabilly pioneer Eddie Cochran, and television immortality, with a Simpsons appearance in 2002.
In 2014, Mr. Setzer received the special honor of being asked by the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. to donate a replica of his original 1959 Gretsch 6120 “Stray Cat†guitar.
Brian Setzer
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Surfdog Records
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